Throwing toy



G. L. SCHANZ July 10, 1956 THROWING TOY Filed June 25, 1953 INVENTOR George L. Schonz BY 'fb/'Mwfwn/ ATTOW THROWING TOYv George L. Schanz, Mount Vernon, N. Y.

Application June 25, 1953, Serial No. 363,955

1 Claim. (Cl. 124-5) This invention relates to improvements in toys and provides a novel form of a dart or arrow, hereinafter called an arrow, and a means of projecting the same.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved arrow and a simple hand-operated throwing device whereby the arrow may be launched into ight. lt is a further object of the invention to provide an arrow which can be launched into flight and hurled a considerable distance by simply engaging the end of the cord of the throwing device and the arrow, allowing the arrow to hang freely from the cord and imparting an overhead, whiplike motion to the projecting device, the handle of which is held in one hand.

The improved arrow of my invention is characterized by being continuously tapered from a relatively thin rudder end to a much thicker head or point and has a cord-attaching notch forward of its center of longitudinal balance. The throwing device comprises a whiplike structure consisting of an elongated handle with a section of flexible cord aiixed to one end of the handle and a notchengaging knob formed in the free end of the cord.

The invention will be more readily understood in reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an assembly view of the projecting device and the arrow as they appear during the launching of the arrow;

Fig. 2 is a side View of one form of the arrow in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken along line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the notch portion of Fig. 3 showing the arrow engaged with the connecting end of the projecting device;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the arrow and the connecting end of the projecting device at the moment of disengagement; and

Fig. 6 is a side view of another form of the arrow of the invention.

Referring to Fig. l, it will be seen that the projecting device consists of a handle l, in the form of a rod or shaft which may be of relatively stiff or flexible material as desired, formed of a material such as wood or metal, and a flexible cord 2 attached to one end thereof having a knob 3 thereon, preferably in the form of a knot formed at the free end of the cord. The knot 3 is adapted to engage the arrow in a manner fully to be described hereinafter. The handle 1 need not be completely rigid. That is, it may possess a slight degree of flexibility and resilience. it is only necessary that it does not deform unduly when the projecting device is used to launch the arrow.

The arrow shown in Fig. 2 comprises a head portion 4, a main body portion or shaft 5, a tail or rudder portion 6, and a knob-engaging slot 7. As shown in Fig. 3, the arrow tapers gradually and continuously in cross section from the head portion 4 to the tail portion 6. Since normally the arrow is of one-piece construction, being preferably formed from a wooden blank, the density of the ited States Patent ICC material comprising it is uniform along its length and hence the point of longitudinal balance, indicated at C, is forward of the mid-point of the shaft. This concentration of mass in the forward section serves to impart flight stability to the arrow. The slot 7, adapted to engage the knot 3 of the projecting device, is positioned between the head of the arrow and the point of longitudinal balance. This positioning of the slot 7 constitutes an important aspect of my invention, as will be hereinafter fully described.

The slot 7, cut through the main body portion 5 of the arrow, is generally wedge-shaped with the apex thereof pointing toward the head of the arrow. The angle between the sides of this wedge opening is such that at a point between the apex and the base of the wedge, the distance between the sides is greater than the diameter of the knot 3 of the projecting device. At a point near the apex, however, this distance is equal to the diameter of the main cord body 2 and hence less than the diameter of the knot.

The side walls of the slot 7 may be vertical with respect to a face of the arrow. it is, however, preferable that they possess a slight slope, as shown in Fig. 2, so that when the knot 3 is in position in the slot, the adjacent cord body portion 2 will be in contact only with a thin edge of the main body portion defining the opening, rather than with relatively wide plane surfaces which would be the case if the walls of the opening were vertical. This preferred form permits easy release of the cord from the arrow.

in Fig. 4, the cord 2 and knot 3 are shown in position at the apex of the wedge-shaped slot 7, indicating the contact between the cord and the edge above described.

The arrow of Fig. 6 is similar in all respects to that of Fig. 2, with the exception of the diiferent form of the knot-engaging section. In this modification, the knotengaging section takes the form of a triangular notch S cut through one side of the arrow at a point between the head of the arrow and the center of longitudinal balance C. This notch is wide enough at its base to permit the knot 3 to pass freely therethrough. At its narrow end, however, the cord only can pass through and the knot rests against the adjacent area on the face of the arrow.

The manner of using the toy of my invention will be described with reference to the arrow of Fig. 2 for purposes of illustration. The knot 3 is passed through the base of the wedge-shaped slot 7 and moved forward so that the cord 2 near the knot contacts the edges of the slot. The arrow is held in one hand and moderate tension is exerted on the cord parallel to the arrow, so as to cause the knot 3 to seat firmly on the forward side walls of the slot. The handle 1 is then grasped in one hand and the arrow is allowed to hang freely from the cord 2. Because of the relative positions of the center of longitudinal balance and the slot, as earlier described, the arrow hangs in an approximately vertical position with the head 4 uppermost. The projecting device is then given a quick, overhead, whiplike motion, so as to cause the ar row to move in an arc over the throwers head. Near the end of the throwing motion, the cord, due to the centrifugal forces exerted, will be extended so as to form a continuation of the axis of the handle 1 of the projecting device and will be approximately perpendicular to the arrow. Further forward motion of the arrow causes the knot to move back in the slot 7 until it reaches a point, as shown in Fig. 5, where it can slip through the broader section of the slot and thus disengage itself from the arrow, which continues in Hight.

The distribution of the mass of the arrow in reference to the point of engagement with the cord permits the device to be operated with one hand and provides for automatic disengagement of the arrow from the projecting device at the proper moment. Furthermore, as a consequence of the distribution of weight, the arrow is at all times during the throwing motion maintained in a flight-stable position. The distribution of the mass of the arrow of Fig. 6 in reference to the point of engage ment with the cord is comparable to that of the arrow of Fig, 2, and hence the arrow is thrown in the same manner.

A particularly desirable feature of my invention is provided by the tapered construction of thc arrowA ln use, particularly in the hands of children, the arrow is subjected to rough handling. The notch cut into the hody of the arrow constitutes a point of weakness and breakage would be expected to occur most readily at this point. However, in the tapered arrow, the notch is positioned in the forward, relatively thick section and. as a consequence of the thickness of this section, sumcient shaft material remains after the notch is cut to provide adequate strength.

The projecting device and the arrow can be made of a wide variety of materials and in various shapes and sizes while still embodying the features herein set forth.

I claim:

A toy arrow and a projecting device therefor comprising a handle ot' relatively stif material, a flexible cord secured to one end of the handle having a knob formed 011 the free end thereof, said arrow having substantially planar faces and characterized by being continuously tapered from a relatively thin rearward end to a relatively thick forward end, said arrow having a center of longi tudinal balance positioned at a point between the longitudinal mid-point and the forward end thereof, Said arrow having a shaft with means formed in said shaft for releasably securing said arrow to said knob, said means being positioned at a point between the center of longitudinal balance of the arrow and the forward end thereof whereby said arrow hangs in an upright position with the head thereof pointing upward and from which position it may be thrown by the projecting device.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 876,324 Brucker Jan. 14, 1908 1,396,073 Pierre Nov. 8, 1921 2,109,120 Price Feb. 22, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS 53,605 Switzerland Nov. 25, 1910 507,424 France June 23, 1920 448,979 Great Britain June 18, 1936 

